Wood, Racks and Tree Crumbs

In her comment on my last post, Goatldi asked if I would post a picture of the wood racks we have to hold wood for our two in-house stoves.  She says she battles "tree crumbs" from the wood and is trying to find a way to eliminate some of the flack caused by bringing heating wood into the house. 

 

Because I tend to over-explain everything, I'll start with the wood box we have on our enclosed, but unheated, entry porch.

 

In this box/bench is where we put the wood when it's brought by wheelbarrow from one of our wood sheds.  Having the lid closed makes a really handy bench on which to sit to put on or off outside boots or shoes.  Unfortunately, during the heating months, it's rarely closed.

 

Just for efficiency and convenience's sake we usually pile enough wood in the box that it doesn't close.  Often the wood is stacked much higher than in this picture.  We take the wood from this box on the porch to the two racks inside with a heavy canvas wood bag.

 

In the kitchen I designed part of a cabinet to hold both small pieces of soft wood for starting fires and the bigger chunks of hardwood for longer burning.  The above shows the top section with some small wood in it and the lower part empty and ready to be filled.

 

Gotta say there's not a whole lot of flack left in the bottom when all the wood has been used.  Before refilling I usually brush out what is in there right onto the floor and it gets picked up when I sweep the kitchen each morning.  

 

I don't have as much "tree crumbs" as I do those awful, gray dust bunnies.  I don't know where they come from but they must be part of burning with wood as I don't have them in the summer time even though we're in and out with outside shoes on many times a day.  One would think we'd track in more dirt then than in the winter.

 

                   When the wood is all restocked in the kitchen,    

 

 

                I close the door and the wood supply doesn't show.

 

This is the wood rack in the living room.  The top section is filled with the smaller soft wood and the bottom area holds the larger pieces of hard wood.

 

 

                                         Above is the filled rack.
 

 

As you can see from this picture of the empty rack, the flack from the wood used falls right on the floor beneath the rack and isn't as easily brushed up, but we do it each time we refill the rack even if it's only a partial filling.

 

We simply use the kitchen floor broom and dust pan to collect the debris.  We do the same in the area under the living room stove and the one in the kitchen as there's usually some flack there.

 

As usual, I've probably rattled on more than necessary and certainly have included more pictures than anyone might desire.  Hope this gives you, Goatldi, an idea of how we do it here and perhaps it will provide you an idea to implement in your own house.